June 28, 2010
New York, NY: The Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God visited St.
Sava’s Serbian Cathedral
With the blessing
of the First Hierarch of ROCOR, His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of
Eastern America and New York, on Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th
of June, the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God visited St. Sava’s
Serbian Cathedral in New York on the occasion of Vidovdan, the
principal Serbian national holiday and the 621th anniversary of the
Battle of Kosovo. The magnificent cathedral was built in 1855 and
originally served as an Episcopal church until the 1940’s, when the
cathedral was purchased by Serbian immigrants and consecrated in honor
of St. Sava of Serbia. St. Sava’s Cathedral is the only Serbian
church in New York, and is the center of the Serbian community in New
York.
On Saturday
evening, June 26, diocesan secretary Archpriest Serge Lukianov brought
the wonder-working icon to the cathedral. The Great Vespers with
akathist were led by the rector, Archpriest Djokan Majstorovic,
co-served by Fr. Serge, Archpriest Zoran Radovic (rector of St.
George’s Serbian Church in Elizabeth, NJ), Priest Vladislav
Radujkovic (cathedral cleric), and Archdeacon Jovan Stanojevic (cleric
of the Serbian Patriarchate). The general singing of the akathist
before the holy icon was performed in English and Serbian.
The following
morning, the faithful greeted His Grace, Bishop Mitrophan of Eastern
America (Serbian Orthodox Church), after which the Divine Liturgy
began. His Grace was co-served by the above-mentioned clergy.
Exalted guests were
present at the divine service: Their Royal Highnesses, Crown Prince
Alexander II, Head of the Serbian Royal House, Heir to the Throne of
Yugoslavia, and his spouse, Crown Princess Katherine. The royal couple
prayed on the solea during the Divine Liturgy. In addition to Their
Highnesses, the following honored guests were also present: the
Honorable Branko Radosevic, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia
in New York City, and the Honorable Koula Sophianou, Consul General of
the Republic of Cyprus in New York City.
Upon completion of
the Liturgy, Bishop Mitrophan greeted the royal couple, thanking Their
Highnesses for celebrating Vidovdan with their countrymen here in
America. His Grace also thanked the First Hierarch, Metropolitan
Hilarion, for the chance to pray before the wonder-working icon of the
Mother of God. In his reply, Fr. Serge greeted His Grace on behalf of
the Metropolitan and expressed his sincere gratitude for the warm
reception and the prayerful and fraternal bonds with our Serbian
brothers and sisters. Fr. Serge underscored the important role played
by the Serbian people in the most trying years of the 20th Century,
when the Kursk Root Icon was taken abroad and became the guide of the
whole Russian Diaspora. He said in part: "Today’s historic
first visit of the wonder-working icon to St. Sava’s Cathedral is a
sign of the unity of our two peoples in Christ. May the Heavenly Queen
help us to continue our co-service and witness to the true faith in
the American land." Fr. Serge then passed along the blessing of
Metropolitan Hilarion to Crown Prince Alexander and St. Sava’s
Cathedral in the form of an exact copy of the Kursk Root Icon of the
Mother of God. During the veneration of the Cross, all of the faithful
were given small copies of the Kursk icon as a blessing from
Metropolitan Hilarion.
After the Liturgy,
parish school students presented an historic play in the parish center
in remembrance of the Battle of Kosovo and the martyric death of St.
Lazar the Prince-Martyr. After the presentation, Crown Prince
Alexander greeted the children, and tasked their parents with bringing
up their progeny in an Orthodox, patriotic spirit, so that they might
not forget their history, their culture, and their inheritance. A
bountiful luncheon was then offered for all those in attendance.
